EVERETT — An Everett man allegedly pointed a gun out the window and emerged from his home with two handguns before two SWAT team members shot him to death, according to the first official account of the incident released Monday afternoon.
Everett police responded to a report of “domestic violence with visible injuries” around 11:20 p.m. Friday at a home in the 800 block of 91st Place SW, according to a press release from the Skagit-Island Multiple Agency Response Team. Officers were aware the man had owned rifles and handguns in the past. Police used a public address system to try to call the man outside.
“When he was seen looking out the window and not responding, he was considered a barricaded suspect,” according to the press release.
The Snohomish County Region 1 SWAT team was called in, while police tried to negotiate.
“During the attempts to negotiate with the suspect, he was seen pointing a gun out the window,” the investigative team wrote. “Attempts were made to negotiate with him also by text and phone.”
Eventually, officers got a warrant to arrest the man.
Around 1:20 a.m., the team entered the back yard and “gave the suspect verbal commands,” according to the press release.
Two SWAT members opened fire.
The Everett man, 58, died at the scene. According to the official account, he had two handguns on him. No SWAT members were hurt. His identity had not been released as of Monday.
The two officers who fired were an Everett officer with seven years of service and a Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy with nine years of service. Both were put on paid administrative leave, as is standard practice.
The Skagit-Island team was called in to investigate to avoid a potential conflict of interest.
On Monday, the neighborhood was quiet and nobody answered the door at the address of the shooting. At least three vehicles were parked in the driveway outside a grayish single-story home with an attached garage. The front yard did not appear disturbed.
A neighbor next door, who asked to not be identified by name, said he woke up around 1 a.m. Saturday to find the neighborhood filled with police officers. He said he could hear police near his backyard breaking down sections of his neighbor’s fence to get into the property. He didn’t know anything else, and he hadn’t been given updates about the situation.
It took over two days for law enforcement to confirm many basic facts about the case: whether there were injuries or fatalities; how many officers opened fire; and why they were called to the home in the first place.
Mt. Vernon Lt. Mike Moore, a spokesperson for the Skagit-Island team, said in a press release that the lack of information stemmed from state legislation that took effect in 2022, WAC 139-12-030, regulating independent investigations of police use of deadly force. The bill was aimed at “enhancing public trust.”
According to the legislation, the team must assign non-law enforcement representatives from the affected community to review the investigation. The team must also establish a family liaison within the first 24 hours of the incident and a tribal liaison, if applicable. These are required to be fulfilled before information can be released about the investigation, Moore wrote.
The code requires independent investigation teams to provide citizen representatives with “a copy of all press releases and communication to the media prior to release,” and family must be given notice about any scheduled press release.
However, it does not specifically bar police from speaking to the media and providing basic information.
The state code also emphasizes the importance of transparency and states “communication is key to enhancing the public’s perception of police legitimacy and fairness. A lack of communication leads to suspicion and damages trust.”
Moore did not return a reporter’s phone message over the weekend. His phone went to voicemail after one ring Monday.
According to the state code, the investigative team is required to update the public once per week at minimum.
Jonathan Tall: 425-339-3486; jonathan.tall@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @EDHJonTall.
Maya Tizon: 425-339-3434; maya.tizon@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @mayatizon.
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